Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for 4th consecutive day

Athens, Aug 19 (EFE).- Firefighters continued to battle a forest fire on Thursday some 50 kilometers from Athens that has been raging for four consecutive days.

The blaze, which broke out on Monday in Vilia, has consumed some 10,000 hectares of forest in the mountainous area to the northwest of the Greek capital.

Five villages were evacuated during the early hours of Thursday and residents were recommended to stay away from their homes to prevent smoke inhalation.

Hundreds of houses were destroyed and two fatalities have been reported.

Local authorities told local media firefighters are facing difficulties to extinguish the fire and warned it could remain active for some ten days.

For the past two weeks, Greece has been battling massive fires that have seriously impacted areas in the north of Athens, the island of Euboea and the peninsula of Peloponnese.EFE

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